Yeah, I remember it being almost universally-acclaimed back in the day- fans who'd never seen it assumed it was the best, and people who HAD were like "this is the most mature the show ever was". The relative seriousness of the threat, and Hotaru Tomoe's arc, had a big effect on people.

Episode #90: Usagi's Silver Crystal has stopped glowing after the last battle, and she fears she'll lose her powers for good! But she & Mamoru immediately come across our Victim of the Week, as naturally the "Heart Crystal" thing has become our new Standard Default Episode. It's a little girl who's caring for stray cats, and of course Usagi decides to help. Curiously, when she asks the other Sailors to adopt some, Mako gives us our first indication that she lives alone, which is something the anime totally glossed over.

Holy CRAAAAAAAAAAAP the animation takes a major upgrade here- at one point, the Daimon's extendable tail gets caught in a doorway, dissolves and turns into a pile of puzzle pieces. That's nuts. The character animation, complete with little gestures and careful maneuvering. The Daimon takes out all four Sailors by deflecting a Mandalah/Pressure attack back at the entire group, while Usagi can't transform. And once again, the two new Sailors use their attacks and finish her off instantly. But when they toss the Heart Crystal back, the monster regenerates! And when Venus is all "WTF?" when they start leaving, they just reply "Don't get the wrong idea. We're only here for the Talismans" and LEAVE THE SAILORS TO THEIR FATE. BITCHES!!

Usagi refuses to leave Mamoru and her friends to die, and only then can she re-energize, as the love between her & Mamo brings forth the "legendary Spiral Heart Moon Rod", which of course Artemis & Luna recognize. She unleashes a Moon Spiral Heart Attack, which basically throws a GIGANTIC heart at the Daimon, smashing her through it, and leaving a star-shaped hole within the thing. This finally kills her off.

Episode #91: Another huge one for the fandom, as we're finally introduced to the two new Sailors in their civilian identities: Sailor Uranus of course debuts as Haruka Tenoh, a very... handsome boy? Yup, she's a girl who likes dressing as a boy, flirting with young girls, and car racing. And Sailor Venus LOVES her. And so does Haruka's GIRLFRIEND, Michiru Kaioh. Yes, LESBIAN SAILORS- the thing that resulted in the hugest amount of Dub Changes in the show's history (making them "cousins").

Best moment: Minako's all going on about how you're only young once, and need to put off studying to have fun, and says "Slow dancing wins the race!". At which point Motoki (who'd invited her over to take a break from studying) just gets this dark expression and goes "You'd be better off studying". Haruka walks into the arcade and immediately begins flirting with the girls, who are stunned by "his" gorgeous features. But then a lady named Michiru shows up, and the two walk off, the most perfect couple in the universe. But it's too late- Minako's already decided that this is the man she's going to marry, and begins stalking them.

Their voices seem alright- Haruka's not believable as a male, but is noticeably deeper than the other girls. Michiru is a bit overly "feminine" in a way- like someone doing an affected "rich girl" voice without going full "Katharine Hepburn", though I guess that's appropriate enough for the character.

Haruka's teasing is AMAZING, as "he" reveals to the girls that "Michiru might even be closer than (my girlfriend)", breaking their hearts... but then goes "but you still have a chance", at which point Michiru walks up and starts kidding around- "Haruka says that to all the cute girls". Then Rei, back at the study group, IMMEDIATELY correctly guesses why Usagi & Minako are late, Ami says "they wouldn't really do that!", and then all three girls sigh and realize that yes, they actually would.

A car mechanic who's had literally two lines in this whole show is our Target of the Week, and a car turns into a Daimon. She reveals the Crystal Locator Star through a LITERAL boob window (as in, the window of her car-torso literally rolls down to reveal half of her boobs), and Usagi has to act as the voice of reason, getting Minako to stop focusing on Haruka. USAGI. THE VOICE OF REASON. God this show is amazing.

The Daimon's a LITTLE silly this time around, driving around on her back, with her legs up and her arms holding a steering wheel in front of her, shouting "Vroomvroomvroomvroom" as she speeds about. But they make up for it when Haruka drops a MOTORCYLE at her. Three Sailor Attacks (including the full displays of World Shaking & Deep Submerge, which are so far beyond the Sailor Attacks seen thus far that it's scary- they're BEAUTIFULLY animated) are all it takes to finish the Daimon, at which point the girls head back to the arcade... and are stunned when a jacket-less Haruka now looks like a somewhat-chesty, wide-eyed GIRL. "I don't recall saying that I was a boy..." is all she can say, her eyes mysteriousy wider and more eyelash-y instead of narrow "adult male eyes" that we usually see. And we have a new ending theme, replacing the past entire season's "Usagi Running" finale.

Episode #92: Michiru now gets an episode with a bit of focus, detailing... well, basically how PERFECT she is. That's kind of her character- aloof, impersonal, but good at EVERYTHING. The "plays a violin while bouncing a lemon on it" was a gif from like... back when gifs took up every bit of memory you had. It's also a neat look at Usagi & Mamo's relationship- the show REALLY had no idea what to do with them in the early seasons, so there were always artificial means to keep them apart (he was mind-wiped for a while, then was forced to call it quits). Here, she gets a glimpse of how much more mature and studios Mamoru is than she, so she feels inadequate ("I'm not fit to be your bride!"), thus attemps to improve herself. Naturally, the other girls are horrified at the thought of having to TEACH her anything.

Rei gives her the "tough love" approach while the other girls run off with excuses, but Luna's comments hit her hard- about how Usagi "never listens" and how "At this rate, Mamoru is going to say he doesn't want to marry you." Only when Usagi breaks down AGAIN does Luna realize she was being serious this time. This leads her to hero-worship the ultra-feminine, ultra-capable Michiru.

Interestingly, Haruka gives some explanation about how they've been "given a few memories of our past lives". And we also learn that extracting the three talismans will kill the owners. The Sailors arrive at a violin recital so Usagi can get some culture (the girls apologize for their actions, but Rei of course makes a spectacle by admonishing Usagi for ogling Mamoru in his white tuxedo instead of paying attention), and IMMEDIATELY a Daimon reveals itself. The "Violin Monster" design is pretty stupid, though. Curiously, only the Sailors are awake after her "Octave!" attack. And the poor violinist victim is so much a backdrop that he doesn't even get any LINES.

Finally all the Sailors meet, though the newbies are aloof & unfeeling as always (Mars of COURSE notes how rude they are). Neptune merely adds that "the heart of an artist is a delicate thing" and prefers caution when they return it.

Episode #93: OMG- it's Unazuki!! Motoki's "Victim of the Week" sister, who only appears when it's her turn to be attacked! She's been dreaming of her first kiss, leading to Haruka to tease the girls on how innocent they are (Michiru, at least, thinks it's sweet). Of course she's attacked by a Daimon, leading to one of the goofiest designs, as her elephant-shaped vacuum-cleaner turns into a monster- I still remember, fifteen+ years ago, reading someone's review over how silly the show's monsters were getting, using this as an example. Unazuki's got one of the best non-Sailor designs of any character, though- she'd have easily fit into the Main Cast instead of just being a backgrounder.

The fight's over pretty quickly, but then it's a SAILOR FIGHT OH SHIT because Neptune & Uranus are after the talisman, but Sailor Moon & Tuxedo Mask fight them for tthe Crystal, because it's Unazuki's! Uranus chokeholds Sailor Moon and Neptune elbows Tuxedo Mask (who blocks), but Neptune quickly figures out that it isn't a Talisman and they kind of go "suit yourself" and let the heroes keep it. The tension over this in these early ones is really well done.

Episode #94: Oh hey- our first indication that Umino & Naru are still alive. Another famous one for the Haruka/Michiru thing, plus one of the last episodes to prominently focus on the old supporting cast. I heard about this one in whispered legend for years, so it's neat to get the "real" version. Naru & Umino are worried the other is falling out of love, so they enter themselves into a "Relationship Contest", and are cheered on by the Sailors. Ami is ADORABLE, insisting she's here because "I might learn something!", but being shocked into embarrassment when the others are all "... LIKE?". Rei has to console poor, face-buried-in-her-hands Ami.

Haruka & Michiru of course enter because they can feel the Daimon's presence in the contest's logo, and of course Ami immediately goes "I wonder if they really are in that kind of a relationship", and is them immediately embarrassed AGAIN when the girls all give her the "Huh?" face. Adorbz. Embarrassed Closet-Romantic Ami is Best Ami.

Also best: Haruka trashing on Umino's horrible attempts at the game (which are all over-eager failures full of drama), with Michiru chiding her "Maybe, but he has the purest heart. Look at how hard he's trying", with Haruka begrudgingly admitting "I'll give him that" with a smile. And of course our girls effortlessly win every contest. But they drop out in thet end, with Haruka getting uncharacteristically bright-eyed and telling the audience "Love is EVERYTHING!"

And then Umino awkwardly fumbles around, trips and falls, and we're waiting for disaster... and he BRINGS THE GODDAMN HOUSE DOWN by shyly confessing how amazing Naru is, and how diminished he feels before her, but that to see her smile "I, Gurio Umino, am willing to die." And the audience is in TEARS.

Goddamn this episode.

The monster has a pretty cool design (complete with a heart-logo on her butt-cheeks), but is done with quickly, as Kaolinite announces her presence to the Sailors before running away.

(Monster Powers: Summons Five Guys that get the Sailors to dance with them, then turn into monsters that grapple & shock them)

Episode #95: Jesus, ANOTHER famous one- I'm getting the impression the fandom's early "Big Name Commenters" were all only familiar with the first half of Sailor Moon S. This one features the ultra-popular "Sailor Jupiter gets a crush on Haruka" plot. Stuff you could really only do in anime at this time- the "Schoolgirls In Love" or "Straight Girl Entranced by The Beauty of Another" tropes are pretty well-trod ground in Japan. So yeah, Mako & Usagi nearly get run over by a careless Haruka, and Mako IMMEDIATELY gets all starry-eyed and blushing at the sight of the "handsome" woman, and crushes so obviously that Usagi and Ami pick up on her excuses to see her again.

Mako also gives us some backstory for her cooking- concerned about how "big" and "boyish" she is, she worked hard at cooking (she notes that it's not a "talent" that she innately possessed) in order to have something going on, femininity-wise. Five minutes in, we get a Daimon attack, which is like record time for this show, but the Sailors arrive quickly and she flees. Mako then gets PICKED UP by Haruka & Michiru, blushing all the while, as the other girls freak out ("Did Mako suddenly change her orientation?" Minako jokes, while Usagi teases an angry "Why would Mako date a woman?" Rei about having some picture-book of girls in drag). Ami gets angry when they focus on the gender thing instead of the important bit: Mako is ACTIVELY BEING TARGETED BY THE ENEMY. Mako's lovesick expression of a stoic, handsome Haruka is AMAZING, as are Minako & Rei's attempts at getting her to not "give up" ("There are lots of great guys out there!" Mars insists).

Mako eventually confesses that she's just "attracted to Haruka's coolness" and not really INTO HER, but soon the Daimon attacks, revealing the "Star" thing on her BREAST (I'm willing to bet the "nipple-covering" star didn't pass the original American censors). Jupiter gets her Heart Crystal taken, but is furious that Uranus & Neptune "just sat back and watched" her get attacked. Jupiter then recovers REALLY fast once the Crystal is returned, and sets up the enemy for Sailor Moon. Then we get another somewhat iconic scene, as Jupiter decides "I'm going to kick your butts!" and dives in to ATTACK Uranus, who just smirks, deflects Jupiter's punch, and then BLASTS her in the gut. However, as the smug Sailors leave, Neptune chides Uranus for not holding back, until Uranus reveals a cut on her hand and goes "She's... strong..."

Some of the backstory here is interesting- Uranus & Neptune bring up the "Messiah" concept for the first time, and how the Holy Grail will summon them. Neptune suggests allying with the other Sailors, but Uranus points out that they'd never be willing to sacrifice the lives of the Talisman-holders.

Not the GREATEST episode save for the occasional bit, but it shows one of those "Straight girl impressed by another girl's beauty/coolness" things that is SO "Anime", and the Uranus/Jupiter bits are classic while they last. It's a bit of a "hero-worship" thing, but the girls still confess they're curious/concerned.

Episode #97: An introspective one, as Ami is lectured by the Vice-Principal about helping lower-end students (ie. Usagi) study, which might negatively affect her own grades- Ami scolds him for the idea, but begins to think about her life- if ALL she has is her studies, then what is she, really? Is her dream to become a doctor really all there is to it ("people with TRUE dreams have a SHINE to them" Ami suggests)? Will being a great student actually mean she'll be a great doctor? Then we get a neat moment where she & Mamoru (the two most mature... well, ONLY mature... members of the Main Cast) talk about her troubles, and he shows a rare flirty side in suggesting "if I had a cute doctor like you, I wouldn't mind getting my shots!"

Usagi, who overheard Ami's conversation with the Vice-Principal, scolds the others and says "Studying is something you do by yourself!" when the girls start harassing Ami for scholastic help- hilariously, this causes FEAR in others, who are staggered that "Usagi... said something admirable!" Unfortunately, Usagi's obsession with Ami's studying just hurts Ami all the more, because her identity is so wrapped up in her grades.

While Usagi does what only she can (she gets that something's bothering Ami, and tries to chase her down and make it better), Ami actually feels better after a competitive swim-race with Michiru- after holding back in the first race (her lack of confidence makes her not want to cause hurt feelings), she does her hardest in the next, finally getting that trying her best is its own reward- "If I relax now, I'd be running away!" Of course, then the Daimon attacks, barely does anything, then gets killed- Tuxedo Mask whups on it, while Luna & Artemis actually pop her inflatable tube, sending her scurrying all over the pool. A pretty hapless threat.

The ending is THE BEST, though- Ami renews her purpose to be her very best self... but when Usagi gets paranoid over her & Tuxedo Mask sharing a moment, Ami actually GRABS HIM and suggests she'll go for THAT, too! "You know I'll try my very best!" "No no no no no!!" AMAZING. You NEVER see Ami tease her friends like this!

Episode #98: A Uranus/Moon-themed episode, as Haruka shows off her Motocross skills, but is stuck fighting the monster when Neptune is beaten very quickly (like, before the Act Break, even). Kaolinite does the "I'll kill your friend if you don't stop fighting" thing, but then Sailor Moon uses the GODDAMN TIARA to cut Neptune loose! Neptune is feared dead, but Uranus appears to coldly abandon her partner- when Sailor Moon gets angry over this, Uranus points out a promise they'd made- to not give up on their mission, even if it endangered the other. The two are trapped together by the Daimon (a silly purple duplicator who can turn into tires), commiserating a bit after a tiny portion of characterization, but it doesn't go deep enough to REALLY dig in.

What we do learn is that Uranus reveals the nature of "The Silence" to Moon, points out the importance of their mission and their willingness to sacrifice some in order to save the world, and more. Moon, to her credit, REFUSES to allow Neptune to die, and when they trick the Daimon/s into splitting the chain that's binding the two Sailors together, she rescues Neptune by BODY-CHECKING Kaolinite (who is getting physical for the first time ever, revealing Prehensile Hair as a power), and the two Sailors mop up the villain.

Episode #99: OH MY GOD ANOTHER REI ONE. And it's got YUICHIRO, too! He's worried over Rei pushing herself so hard to comprehend the ill omens she's getting about The Silence, but can't get through to her. Usagi meddles (as she does), and is convinced that Rei's concerned about the idea of MARRYING Yuichiro, because of course that's the conclusion Usagi comes to whenever a girl appears restless and obsessed. However, Yuichiro is shattered when he sees Rei "flirt" with Haruka, mistaking Haruka for a handsome boy (he misses Rei using a "good luck charm" he gave her to keep her hair manageable).

WOW the girl's study outfits- Rei is wearing a red miniskirt, and Makoto is dressed in a green qipao of all things, which is hugging EVERY CURVE, showing off her trademark "talents" more than any other time I can recall. God BLESS this director. Yuichiro is SO devoted to Rei's happiness that even though he's heartbroken, he fights for Rei's honor when he sees Haruka with Michiru- she easily sidesteps all of his clumsy, enraged attacks, but Rei is disgusted at his stupidity. This causes him to abandon the Shrine and leave, which now upsets REI, because she's still fond of the big dummy. The girls convince her to chase after him, and of course a Daimon attacks. Mars actually DOES THE BEST, stunning it with her Magic Super-Paper, and Sailor Moon finishes it off. Probably the least help the girls have needed since the start of the season.

In the end, Rei takes care of Yuichiro's injuries with the same ribbon he gave her earlier, but teases him for the cheap gift, teases him AGAIN for "picking a fight with a fragile young lady!", then calls him a scatterbrain and a dummy, while demanding he lean on her when he walks. UGH THAT GIRL AND HER PERFECTION.

Episode #100: Wow, one-hundred episodes in. And it's a HUGE focus on Minako, to the point where the other girls barely get a few lines each! That's CRAZY- poor Mars, Jupiter and others have to share tons of time with Sailor Moon! Minako has a chance encounter with a boy from the school volleyball team, and he nervously makes some REALLY obvious attempts to see if she's open to dating him ("Do you have a boyfriend?" "When I started on the volleyball team, I had a huge crush on you. But you were much better than I was at the time, so I decided to wait until I made the regular squad" "I could only date a girl who was into sports like I was. Are you not going to rejoin the team?"). This makes Minako VERY introspective all of a sudden, as she'd quit the volleyball team to start her super-heroics, and is now realizing what kind of a normal life she's given up.

They do a really good job of making the silliest of the characters into a much more well-rounded figure here, as she plays off her fears of abandoning a normal life with jokes and anger, "jokes" about quitting the Sailors to the others ("just kidding", she says), then goes off on her own. Naturally, Haruka shows up, but her advice is more or less "I'm happy with who I am, so I don't regret giving anything up". Minako comes to talk to the boy, but it turns out HE HAS A GIRLFRIEND.

Sailor Venus gets one of the more bitching "solo shots" here, as she deflects the Volleyball Daimon's "Exploding Ball" attack by using her trademark "Serve Return" (recognized by the boy, Asai). She basically confesses to herself that "I am a Sailor Guardian, and there are things that only I can protect", accepting her role in life. And in a cute moment, Artemis (who'd been flabbergasted by her behavior thus far, not understanding the teenage girl mind) gives her a bouquet of roses and asks "will you be my date tonight?"

Episode #101: It's Usagi's birthday! Except her friends don't appear to care, and Mamoru has forgotten completely (earning the first full-on SLAP from our heroine!). Haruka then BLATANTLY hits on Usagi ("Maybe *I* might have a chance with you now?... I quite adore Bun-Head"), but an annoyed Michiru just tells her to knock it off. The Sailors soon point out to Usagi that she never TOLD Mamo when her birthday was, and the two quickly make up. However, it turns out that SHE is the new target, leading to a crisis of faith in Sailors Uranus & Neptune, who debate whether or not they can allow their new friend to die in order for their mission to succeed- Neptune openly questions things, while Uranus (who had previously denied that it was even POSSIBLE for Usagi to be the holder of a Talisman) puts up her "aloof" act, but we shouldn't be buying it.

Tuxedo Mask debuts a new power all of a sudden, popping out a series of Roses that surrounds the Daimon on the ground, then creates a Cylinder Area storm that harms it! But Usagi loses her Transformation Brooch and is thus powerless, leaving her & TM to flee! Then he engages in a sword/cane battle with the daimon (who shows a LOT of different powers here), but he's soon frozen solid, leaving Usagi helpless as the episode ends! To be continued!

Episode #102: Part Two. And this one takes a MAJOR animation upgrade, as you can tell they put real effort into the end of one part of the story-arc- there's even SHADING on the girls this time! Kaolinite and the Daimon run off to the Tokyo Tower with Tuxedo Mask's frozen body, forcing the Sailors to meet them there.

Usagi leaves the others to get to the Tower, hopping in a car driven by Haruka & Michiru, who were of course spying on everything. But their dialogue, all about how you can't have happiness without trampling on others, and how someone always has to suffer and sacrifice, reminds Usagi WAY too much of her conversations with Sailors Uranus & Neptune ("there are always sacrifices!"), and she immediately figures out their secret identities! They lead her to the Tower, with Neptune asking one final time if this is the right move ("Are you sure you're okay with this, Haruka? She's... going to die..." "It can't be helped. In order to get the Holy Grail in order to save the world from The Silence... Bun-Head needs to be sacrificed!"). They TRY to act heartless about it, but Uranus pounds her windshield, furious over having to make this choice- it's these glimpses of conflict that humanize both characters, even though their actions are quite dark.

But actually, it turns out this ISN'T a talisman after all (the shining light that made everyone think it was? Just an indication of purity, I guess). And to protect Usagi's secret ID, VENUS disguises herself as Sailor Moon, though her shorter hair (and mention of "You've got a problem with my perfect disguise?") kind of wrecks the illusion. But Kaolinite is so fooled that she throws down the Transformation Brooch in disgust, then runs off to fight Uranus & Neptune solo. The Sailors fight the Daimon, with Venus doing "Sailor Moon" attacks that are either just "Sailor Moon KICK!" or her own attacks renamed, which reels the "OMG we have to sacrifice the nicest girl in the world" episode over to comedy so quickly you get whiplash. But Usagi's annoyance with Venus copying her is classic.

And then it's Kaolinite (vs) Sailors, as she hurts Uranus, while the other Sailors decide to sacrifice THEMSELVES so that the other two can escape! But Kaolinite copies her Daimon's powers and puts up a shield they can't break through. This leads to Tuxedo Mask taking on Kaolinite alone so the Sailors can build up the SAILOR PLANET ATTACK, as this episode just keeps getting crazier. Ultimately, Kaolinite SURVIVES this attack, and plans to wipe out the exhausted Sailors... but Uranus pulls out the final Last Minute Save, resulting in a reversed attack and Kaolinite freezing herself and falling off of Tokyo Tower to her doom.

Sailor Neptune teases Uranus about being "so fickle", while the Professor makes a woman in shadow named Eudial the replacement of Kaolinite. Pretty kick-ass episode, with a lot of twists and turns, crazy villainy and big-time action. And thus we end the "Kaolinite Series" of Sailor Moon S... though even as a young fan, I'd have it spoiled that she returns later. Next up... the Witches Five!

Haha, this is why I never watch what people recommend for me- I LOVE this show, and it still takes me half a year to watch a season of this damn thing .

Episode #103: WELP that was a good run- Twelve episodes after she left at the end of Sailor Moon R, Chibi-Usa returns. This time, she wants TRAINING! Because you send a little girl into the past with her teenager-aged parents so they can fight dangerous super-villains. For training. The Witches 5 also make their debut, sitting in their lab doing "science stuff" with their labcoats on. New "General" Eudial alters their "standard action plan" to get targets ahead of time, then "pre-make" Daimon Egg-infused Objects for them to touch.

We get some funny pratfalls with Rei trying to convince a woman to play the "taiko" drums at a festival, while the others spy on her and get on her nerves (naturally, it ends up with her getting hot coffee on her head). The festival goes well (the girls help kids catch goldfish, and Minako gets a funny bit when three rough-looking kids go "hey, old lady!" at her), but of course this girl's Heart Crystal gets checked out via Eudial's giant "Needle Gun" thing that blasts the Heart Crystal out like a bolt from a shotgun! The silly monster just makes Moon & Mars dance amidst fireworks, and Uranus & Neptune just bail to let them sort it out themselves in a funny bit ("we can't always be here to help them..."). At which point SAILOR CHIBI-MOON shows up , whips out a pathetic (but annoyingly painful) "Pink Sugar Heart Attack" on the Daimon, and this lets the heroes win.

Hilariously, this is a "Shaggy Dog Story", as we actually end the episode BEFORE THE DRUMMING STARTS.